The Bengals were optimistic they could re-sign offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth. But they won’t.

Whitworth plans to sign with the Rams today on a three-year deal worth a total of $36 million with $15 million guaranteed and $13 million coming in the first year of the contract.

That puts Whitworth on one of the worst offenses in the league — unless he can be part of a turnaround effort led by new head coach Sean McVay. The 35-year-old Whitworth has started all 16 games the last three years, and he’s a well-respected veteran who was a team captain. His absence will be a loss in Cincinnati.

I could not have said it better. I hate that I cannot stop being a fan of this team. Everything they do is slow, cheap, old-fashioned, the very opposite of aggressive, and increasingly impossible to defend.

I can only think (hope) at this point that they are going to try to retain Zeitler.

Whit obviously didn't give a crap about anything but the money. That deal he signed is a blockbuster for a 35 year old guy. Not like he wasn't already set for life, including his children's grandchildren, but now he's really set. Good for him, I guess. Meanwhile, my claim that Whit's talk of leadership and everything else was never more than empty, hot air, bears out. He is who I thought he was.

Whelp, IMO we just set the clock back another year on the rebuild.

With a few smart moves, we were within shot of being in contention this year. Now, the best I think we can hope for is next year. And though Mem said this in jest in another thread just now, it does make you rethinking getting rid of McCarron. Dalton is going to get killed if Oghebui is on either side, and at this point, he's all we've got. Terrible tackle draft too.

Two years in a row now the Bengals have been played by their players in FA. IMO, it just goes to show that all of the Marvinspeak and Front office talk of a different culture is not at all bought into by the players anymore if ever. They know the organization is not committed to winning, and if Marvin stays around I suspect what little core of talented guys we have left will gradually slip away. We've been calling for it for years, but now more than ever, this team needs a new head coach.